Device for controlling the travel of tong dogs for sawmill carriages



NOV. 11, 1930. I FERRls 1,781,220

DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE TRAVEL OF TONG DOGS FOR SAWMILL CARRIAGE IS Filed June 18, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Enws H FERR/s.

ATTORNEYS.

Nov. '11, 1930. E. A. FERRIS 1,731,220

v DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE TRAVEL OF TONG DOGS FOR SAWMILL CARRIAGES Filed June 18, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTOR NE Y5.

Nov. 11, 1930. E. A. FERRIS 1,731,220

DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE TRAVEL OF TONG DOGS FOR SAWMILL CARRIAGES Filed June 18, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 11, 1930 nverse srrs PATENT OFFICE o,

ERVIE A. FERRIS, 0F WESTWOOID, CALIFORNIA DEVICE non CONTROLLING THE rnAvnL or none noes F03 SAWMILL oAaRIAeEs Application filed June '18,

My invention relates to'improvements in de ices}; for controlling the travel of tong dogs forsaw mill carriages, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arranges-ments hereinafter described and claimed.

,15' the devices now in use it is necessary'to move I the top hammer dogs of the tong dogs entirely to the upper end of their travel before they can again be broughtdown into engagement with the log or cant. This takes con .siderable time, and causes unnecessary delay.

The purpose of the-present invention isto provide a device for controlling tong dogs which will exert thenecessary force required to drive the dog points into the log yet this force may be controlled for causing the dogs to exert less force when engaging with a cant, thus eliminating any possibility of-the dogs biting a large sliver'out of the cant; The tong dog controlling means causes them to ,IDOVQ slowly into engagement withthe cant, and then after engagementto increase their force to equal that at which they engage with a round log. This additional'force will not break the cant because the dogs have already come to rest thereupon prior tothe increasing of the force.

A further object of my invention is to pro vide a device of the type described which makes use of novel means for permitting the dogs to be raised or lowered to any desired point and then bechanged in'their direction of travel at any desired'point, thus c 1a in the necessity of causing the top log dog to raise to its uppermost positionbefore it again starts on its downward travel.

:1 further obj ect of my invention is'to provide an automatic means for slowing upthe downward movement of the upper dog into engagement with the work when the stanchion has heenmoved back preparatorytore- 6 by'means of a piston rod? that-carries a 1923. Serial No. 286,399.

tong dogsand'an operating Valve for regulating the movementsof thedogs, 'the dogs 65 receiving a log; j

Figures 2 and 3 are sectional views of remote control valves; V

Figure 4 is a vertical section through the operating valve on line4-4 of Figure-1; v

' Figure 5 is a section along the line 55 of Figured; and Figure 6 is similar to Figure 1, butshows the tong dogs drawn back-forreceiving acant. Incarrying out-myiinvention, I make use of hammeror top dog 1 mounted upon a saw mill carriage 1?, this dog being raised and lowered by means ,of a piston rod 2 that in turn is connected to apisto n 3., The piston is mounted in a cylinder 4 thathas a pivotal 'mounting at '5' with a lower dog '10. Astanchion '6 has-a channel forslidably receiving blocks 1" and 10 carried the'tong'dogs and i's moved forward or backward, inguides piston 8 mountedin acy linder 9. The dog 1 cooperates with the dog 10 for holding a log 11, see Figure 1', or a cant 1?, see Figure 6. Themoving of the sta'nchion with respect tothelrnee 7 moves the tong dog points toward 'or away from the face of the ,knee'.

An operating "valve indicated generally at 12 has a plurality of large-cylinders 13,14,

1.5 and 16, shown in Figure l connected :to the cylinoers l' and?) by pipes. "Pipe-1:7 c'on- 95 nects cylinder 13 with'the bottomof cylinder 4, whileipipel8 connects cylinder 14 with the top of cylinder 4. Pipe :19 connects cylinder '15 with theogback of cylinder :9, 1 and pipe-i520 connects-cylinder :16 withlthe :frontbof-cyilinder 9. In addition, I show what I term a retard cylinder 21 thatis placed in communica- 5 tion with the pipe 20 by means of a pipe 22 (seeFigure 1 a Valves mounted in the cylinders 1.3 to 16 inclusive are controlled by pilot cylinders 23, 24L. 25xand 26 Pipes27 and 28 connectw the pilot cylinders 23and 241- to arem-ot-e controlvalve indicated generally at 29, this valve being shown in detailin Figure 2 A seconds remote control. valvelndicated generallyat 3Qis connected'by meansoi' a pipe 31 to the pilot" cylinders 25 and 26. Figure 1 shows how the pipe 31fcommunicates with a pashe valves -29and 30 areconnected by. a

a I pipe 33 to an air storagetank 34. I A pipe 35 taps the pipe L33ia ndc'onveys air to the cylinders 13 to 16: inclusive when the valves in these cylinders are in: certain positions. V w lt 1's bestnow to describe the action of Valves n the cyl1nders13 and Meter controlcling the piston rod2. Cylinder 13 ,is, pro-' vided with a valve seat 36, (see Figure 4 and 11a ,valve seat 37 lfalves'38 and39 are inte- ,g' rally connected .to each other and intermittently seat, that-' 1s, when the valve'33fi'is seatedthe valve39 1 s not, and vice versay fln like manner valves 40 and 41 are integrally connected toeach other,.and are mounted in cylinder ltand adaptedtorseat against valve seats 42 and 13 respectively. The valves 39 j andil are normally kept closed by gtlie air 5 p ressureg-in' cylinders. 13 and 14;.v but'springs" 54st and 15 msure'a'quick and positive closing.

The lower ends ofthe valves 39; and 41 bear 7 against pistons 46'and 47 respectively These pistons; are :Jmounted incylinders 23v and 24 a and are furged against, the bottoms of the .valve-guidesjbysprings48 and49 respectively These springs are -weaker than the 1 springs l l and; i5 {so that normally the parts will remain inlthe position shownin Figure 1. Tllfloperatln'g valvegeasmgl2has a passageway; 50 therein for 7 Conducting 1 air .7 flowing from' the. pipe 35. This air "passes through j 1 openings 51 and 52; Thejvalves 38 and e0 haveairfconveying 'g rooives 53 and 54' therein 1 for permitting to flow from the passage -way 50 into the ,cylinders 13' and 141., The pipes .1 7 -and 18 'commu'nicate with -tlie-cyl= inder, andtheretorethe air willflow through r-thesej pipes and be gcarried into'thecylinderj 1.

"Since the? pressure of airin the pipes17 and hausting. This'willcause a movement of the 7 piston andin turn will move the dog 1. The

remote control valve 29 is used tor'control-v ling the piston 3. This valve has a handle 55" which, when swung to the right in Figure 2',

brings a passageway 56' into registration with the air supply pipe 33 and the'pipe 27 It should be noted at this point that the valve 29 maybe placed any distance fromthe operating valve, and that this valve in turn can be placed any distance fromthe tong dogs 1 and 10and their associate 'partsfilt is convenient to mount 1 the knee 7 of the device.

A movement ofthehandle to theright causes airto flow throughthe pipe 27 and into, the pilot cylinder '23. "A sectional view shown in Figure 5 illustrates: the point at whichthepipe 28 entersthe' pilot cylinder 24. The pipe 27 enters the cylinder 23 in a similar manner. The air forces the piston 46 upwardly, and this in. turn'seats the valve 38 and'opens the valve 39. Air ceases to flow from: the passageway 50 into the pipe 17 but instead the pipe 17 empties itslairinto the cylinder 13'andthe air flows past theiopen o valve 39 into the pilot cylinder23, through a passageway 57, across the topof a piston v58 in the retardcylinder 21 (this piston being.

in'its lowermost positionv during this opera,

shown at 62 in Figurel. An adjustableplug 63lcontrols thegfiow of air out through the 7 :port .61, andva similar plug 641 controls the flow of air out throughjthe exhaust port 62. "Aportion or. the air liowing from. pipe 17 through cylinder 13 and on to eXhau-stport two exhaustports are provided and the air the piston to move downwardly quickly, The exhaust'of air frombeneath the piston Ihave described how a movement o f the operating valve on the tion instead of in its uppermost position'as illustrated);upthrough a bore 59 and out through the'exhaust ports 60. Figure 5,. 1 shows the cylinder 24 as being provided with :an exhaust portj6lu The cylinder 231ispro-, v I s videdwith a similarexhaust port, thisbeing '60, passes through the port62;III this way will be permitted to quicklypassthroughthe I .pipe 17 to drain theair from'thecylinderlt directly beneath the rapist-0113 andito perinit -3 is caused by the flow of airthrough the pipe n V 18 to a position abovethe piston3. It should 1 beremembered' that during'the time the valve 7 M38is seated and the valve 39 i-s unseated, the

valves l0and41 remain in the sameposition shown in Figure 4. Airfw'ill thereforeflow a through openings 52, rooves5a, cylinder14, v V V a 7 Epipe 18,-andinto the taper thecylinder4. 18 -.1s equal, anequal forceywill be exerted against-v both sides o'fthe .piston3; and this" lwill maintain the. piston in a fixed position. the operator wishes to move the piston rupor down helmerely exhausts air from above the piston or'fromjbeneath it, and per amits additional 'airl to enter the-cylinder on from the neutral position shown in Figure 2. This will direct air through the pipe 28 into the pilot cylinder 24, which will seat the valve and open the valve 4L1. The rock ing of the handle 55 to the left places the pipe 27 in communication with an exhaust port 66, and this permits the air to drain from the pilot cylinder 23 and to allow the valve 89 to seat and the valve 38 to open. The flow of air through the cylinders 13 and 14 will now be reversed. The cylinder 14 will exhaust air from the topof the cylinder 1, this air passing through grooves 67 into the pilot cylinder 24, and thence out through the exhaust port 61. Air will enter the pipe 17 and, will fill the lower part of the cylinder 1 to raise the piston 3.

The piston can be stopped in anyv position desired by merely swinging the handle 55 back into neutral position as shown in Figure 2. This places both pipes 27 and 28 in communication with the exhaust 66, perinits valves 39 and 41 to seat and causes an equal pressure of air to enter pipes 17 and 18.

XVhen the tongdogs 1 and 10 receive a cant 11 insteadofa log 11, the stanchion 6 is moved back, see Figure 6. This is accomplished by moving the. piston 8 within the cylinder 9, and this movement in turn is controlled by the valves in. the cylinders 15 and.-

16, see Figure 1, and the remote control valve 80, see Figure 3. The cylinder 15 has a valve 67 mounted therein which is adapted to seat against a valve seat 68. A piston 69 mounts ed in the pilot cylinder 25 bearsagainstthe shank of thevalve 67and is held against the shank by a spring 7 0.- Valves 71-and72are connected to each other and are mounted'in the cylinder 16. Valve seats 73 and 7d are provided for the valves 71 and 7 2 respectively. A piston 75' bears against the shank of the valve 72 and is yieldingly .heldin. posi tion by means of a spring 7 6.

It will be noted from the constructionsof the valves 67, 71 and '72 that airin the passageway 50 will keep the vaives 68 and 72 seated and the valve 71 open. Air will normally flow past the valve71 and through the pipe 20 to move the piston 8 toward i the right in Figure 1. This will exhaust the air from the right hand end of the cylinder 9 and this air will be forced through the pipe 19 into the cylinder 15, through a groove 7 in the valve shank 67, thence into the cylinder 25 and out through the exhaust port. 78 see Figure'l, this port being similar to the port 61. shown in Figure 5 The piston 8 will therefore be at the extreme right end of its stroke when looking at Figure 5 when a handle 79 of the valve 30 is in vertical 'position' as shownin Fi'gure 3.

If now the handle 7 9 is swung to the left, it. will place the pipe 38 in] communication withthe pipe 31, and this will raise both the pilot pistons 69 and 75, opening the valves 68 and 72 and closingthe valve 71. The pas-.. sage of air to the cylinder Swill now. bere-v versed, air flowing through the pipe 19 into the cylinder andthrough the pipe 20 away from the cylinder. This causes the piston.8 to move to the extreme left hand-position and to carry the stanchion 6 therewith.- r

It should be noted at this point that when the piston 8 is at, the extreme right of its 6 stroke, seeFigure 6 the stanchion 6 is pulled back for positioning the dogs for receiving the cant 11. It is necessary toicut down the force exerted upon'thehammer dog 1 andto cut down the speed ofthe dog as it is: lowered intoengagement with the cant in order to prevent the dog from biting asliver out of the cant; I accomplish. this retar'dingmove- "ment'of the dog 1 automatically in the following manner. When thevalves 68, 71 and 72 are in the positions shown in- Figure 4,

the piston'8 will be at itsextreme'right hand position as shown in Figure-6, A portion.v of

the air flowing through the pipe 20,. into the left hand end of the cylinder 9 is directed through the pipe22, see Fig ure 1, into the retard cylinder 21. The cylinder21isshown in Figure 1. The air flowing fromthe pipe .1

22 raises the piston 58 into the position shown inigure 4. This cuts off any escape of air from the pilot cylinderl23fthrough thecx haust openings Air flowsthrough the cylinder 23 Vonlywhenthejdog 1 isbeing moved downwardly. All of the'air flowing from beneaththe piston 3 in .the cylinder will therefore have to flow through the ex haust porti 62.. The passage of air through this port-.gis slowed down to the desired extent so as tocause Ythe dogIt'o be lowered slowly. T The dogfwill therefore engage with the cant gently so as to not'tear apiecetherefrom. A shorter dog point 65" engages with the cantinstead of the point 65. Ofcourse the vairwill continue to leak through. theport 62 after the'dogl has engaged with the cant until there is no air pressure beneath the piston 3. This operation causes a gradual in-.

crease of force [to be applied to the dog .1 afterit engages with the cant. The dog will therefore have suflicient force to hold the cant'rigidly in position eventhough the dog was slowly brought into'engagement with the-cant. H I we r From the foregoing description of the various parts of thedevice, the operation thereof will'be readily understood. I When the saw mill receives a new log, the operator throws the handle 7 9t'o the right, see Figure 8, this causingpistons,69and75to move valves 68,71 and 72ia-nd to admit air to the back of the cylinder Sand to permit'it to I exhaust from the front of. the cylinder. This 5 moves the stanchion forwardly. The opera:

tor can nowactuat-e the handle 55 t'o the left, I 7

close. the valve 10 and to, open the valve 411,

cylinder 4 through thepipe'17 andto escape from the top ofthe .cylinderQ This raisesthe dog 1. 'The upward movement ofthe dog can be stopped atflany point by the operator throwing thehandle 55 intoneutral position,

which causes tllGyVtiilVGS-38, 39, 40 and 41 to assume/the positions shown in igure 4 and to -admit ain't-o the top and bottom of thecylin der l, thus creating a perfect balance upon" the pi'ston3, 3 When theflo'g is received, the dog-1 can be bronght down into engagement with the'log. .This is accomplished bythrowing the handle 5 5 to' the right, see Figure 2.1This closes the valve-'38 and-fopens the valve 39 and permits'air to' exhaust from beneath the piston 3 and flowoiitthrough the pipe 17. Air is beingffed intothe ftopflof the cylinder- 4, and

has sufficien't iforce "to' swing the dog 1 7 into engagement with the log. During this move- Y ment.theiaii -fio'wing through the pipe 17 ex hausts throngh theport 62 and port 60; Y

EQNOW" when the lo g fhas" been sawedon;

three sides and ist urnedv the last time, the

do s-1 5mm have to bedra'wn backto within about one inch from the face of the knee YP'to 'i al'low'thel'cant befsawed 11p tothe last bite on a long sliver out of the "corner of the cant; fThe purpose "of the retarding cylinder 21 is to c it' down the "speed of the movement of the 'dog llf heretofore, stated,;thepiston I 58in the retard cylind1f2l is rai'sed' when'the handleiZgoffthe valve 30 shown in Fignrefi is 1' swung into vertica'lposition. This permits air [to exhaust from beneath the piston '3 through 'the jsmall port 62'ins'tead of thronghthisfporlt I l V J and the port 60." The, 're t -arfdcylindercuts o ii fPOrt 60, j Thesl0w exhaust ofair. from beneath the piston gau es the dog 1 tomoye "downwardly slowly."

jAIthb ighI haVeshovvna'nd describedone embodimentof my invention, it is-tobe u 'n I I 'derstood that the same is su sceptibleof vari o @0118 changes, and- I reserve'the rightto employ rsiich changes asmay c'ome'within thefs c operiage' havinga log orfcantre'ceiving knee, of

' a dog, meansifor moving the dog. in aj ver-.

ti'cal plane in either direction and for' holdin'g'it in fadj Listed position, stanchion slidable towardfandifrom the faceof the knee, 1 and car rying the dog therewithmeans for moving sai'dstanchion in eitl 1er of said directions," said means 'coo eratingwith ,Said

' "first named, means; for retarding the dow wanim'evem nt of said; dog when'said stan- ,c'hi'on' "is in a. retracted, position] I I 7 .2; The combination with a sawmill carriage having a'log; or; cant receivingkneqof i heippaa am Q send-ed h'jthe same velocity that is re.-

I v V a I V a dog when the remote control valve for'the quired to hold 'a' round vlog, I it would likely cylinder and being operatively connected to said dog for moving it in a vertical plane,

means for controlling the flow'of air into the top and bottom of the cylinder formovingthe piston in" either direction orfor' holding tlie'piston in adjusted p0siti0ns,"a stanchion 'slidab le toward and from the face/ofthe 1 knee and carrying the dogtherewith,"means for moving said stanchion in "either of said I directions, said means cutting: down the escape of air from beneath saidpiston for re tarding the downward movement' of, said dog when said stanchion is m retracted 13 081 I 3. The combination with a saw mill car- I riage having a .log or cant f'receiving knee, I of a dog,'a p1stonan'da cylinder-forsa d dog for moving it in a vertical plane, a stane chionslidable toward and fromflthe face of the knee; a piston and cylinder Ifor moving said stanchion, an oper'ating'valve for directiiig air into'either ofsaid cylinders formov mg said pistonsin either direction, and remote control valves for controlling the oper-. ating valve, ar'etard cylinder forming a part of' said operating control valve, said; retard cylinder cutting ofii a portion of the exhaust opening. from'the cylinderconnectedto the a 0I';cant receiving kneepa; dog for engaging. with'the log Zora Cant,meansf for moving the dog .in a vertical plane "in either direction the face of the knee, said last named means,

enrm -v l g i gtof etractedlposition, 1;" operating with said'fi'rstnamed, means for and'for holding itin adjusted position, and j- ;I means for moving the dog toward and from retardingthe downward :movementof said (dog.

receiving knee,tong dogsfo'r engaging' with J the log or cant, means for moving the. dogs I v in a vertical plane in either direction and I 1 I forgholding-them in adjnsted positions, and

means for movingthe dogs toward and from the face'of the knee, said last named means e I 5 p I ,5 wh'enmoving said dog to retractedposition V 1. The combination with a saw mill car cooperating "with said -first nained' means I for retardingthe movement of said dogstoward V ward and aWay'Ifrom' the face of th kne} andbein'g movable in a vertical plane, means for moving said dogs andimeans for retard- @Qg, aid last; named means being automaticallyv brought into .play' when'fsaid chion is moved into retra med-position; j I

5. mill carriagehaving log oricant 'I tongdogs slidably carried bysaid stanchion ioo . III I I I I 320* cant rece ving knee, astanchionv1novableto ing the. downward movement of the ipperrg I receiving knee, a stanchion, pneumatic means for moving said stanchion toward or away from the face of said knee, tong dogs slidably carried by said stanchion and being movable in a vertical plane, pneumatic means for moving said dogs toward and away from each other, and pneumatically controlled- 

